Net neutrality supporters were successful in this round because they used the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to force a vote. This law enables Congress to repeal federal agency rules and regulations on a simple majority vote instead of a 60-vote threshold needed to break most Congressional procedural roadblocks. Ordinarily, the head of the US Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell, would have blocked this proposal.

Earlier Congressional attempts to overturn the FCC ruling had come to nothing. For example, Democrat House Representative Sean Patrick Maloney’s bill, H.R.4585 – Save Net Neutrality Act of 2017, was killed immediately by the Republican-dominated House by being referred to the subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

In this case, while the resolution has passed, the measure still needs House approval and President Trump’s signature. With Republicans holding a 236-to-193 majority in the House, it’s unlikely net neutrality can be restored. For net neutrality to come back requires 25 House Republicans to join the Democrats just to force a vote in the lower chamber.

Without both the House and President Trump’s support, the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality, the falsely named Restoring Internet Freedom Order, stands. And, net neutrality ends June 11.

Eventually, net neutrality may be restored. The practical point of this vote is not to restore net neutrality but to force the Republicans to show their true anti-net neutrality colors before the midterm elections.

Kamala Harris, a Democratic Senator from California, tweeted, “Today’s vote on #Net Neutrality is one of the most impactful votes the U.S. Senate has ever taken on the future of the internet. If it fails, big cable companies will soon have the power to distort how the internet works.”

Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made an even stronger statement on Twitter: “There’s never been a more important vote in the Senate for the future of the internet.” He’s right.

Republican Senator John Thune dismissed the vote as “going no where, my colleagues on the other side know that.” He’s missing the point. This vote wasn’t about winning today, but winning for net neutrality in the long run.

The lines have been drawn. Now, while there are state-level laws and lawsuits seeking to restore net neutrality, the real way back to net neutrality is to vote its foes out of office.